Charleston Living Magazine Nov-Dec 2021

FOOD | THAT’S AMORE
The Italian Table
Amici’s Italian Bistro serves feel-good favorites from the heart
F
By JENNA LEY-JAMISON
Photos by MICHELLE BRYANT
From childhood cooking lessons in her “Nana’s”
New York kitchen, to whipping up her own delectable
dishes inside the kitchen at North Charleston’s Amici’s Italian
Bistro, Jennifer French has spent a lifetime around authentic Italian
food surrounded by family.
“We just always had big family meals and my
cousins lived in my neighborhood, and they
were always over,” said French, co-owner and
manager of Amici’s. “I just don’t know any other
way; it just was natural.”
Simply put: the act of cooking stirs up a
myriad of blissful emotions and memories for her.
“It gives me nostalgia; it just brings me
back to my childhood,” French said.
She now keeps the familial tradition alive
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with her own daughters, Anne and Abby—
who also both work at Amici’s—teaching them
the beloved heirloom recipes her own mother,
aunt and grandmother shared with her.
It’s been six years since French purchased
Amici’s. In September 2015, she and her son
Tom took a leap of faith and purchased the
location. Having previously served as an employee
at Amici’s predecessor—a restaurant
named Pino’s—French decided it was time
(above) Red-and-white checkered tablecloths in
the cozy dining room; Jennifer French, owner and
manager of Amici’s Italian Bistro (right) A warm
and comforting atmosphere awaits diners at Amici’s
Italian Bistro.